ArticleJournal of medical Internet research2025
Determinants of Digital Health Literacy: International Cross-Sectional Study.
Article in Journal of medical Internet research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed.
- Assessment of electronic health literacy and its associated factors among internet -using primary health care attendees in Mansoura district, Egypt: a cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Associations of General Self-Efficacy and Digital Health Literacy with Self-Management and Intention to Use Digital Health Services Among Adults Aged 50 Years and Older with Chronic Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Factors Associated With Digital Health Literacy in the United Kingdom: Cross-Sectional Online Survey.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Measuring eHealth Literacy in the European Economic Area, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Digital Health Literacy, Technology Acceptance, and Competence Among Older Adults Aged ≥65 Years: Cross-Sectional Study Investigating Differences Between Women and Men.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Generative AI and knowledge management in health education: a cross-sectional study of students' digital literacy and attitudes from a developing-country context.BMC medical education · 2026Article
- Digital Engagement and Health Behaviors Among Village Health Volunteers in Southern Thailand: A Cross-Sectional Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Predictive Value of Health Literacy on Health-Promoting and Protective Behaviours in Turkish Nurses and Allied Health Workers.Nursing open · 2026Article
- Validation of the Updated Digital Health Literacy Instrument and Development of a Short Form: Online Survey Study of the General Population.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Changes in Nurse-Patient Communication Through Health Technologies and Nursing Practices to Recognize and Support Limited Digital Health Literacy: Qualitative Study.JMIR nursing · 2026Article
- Precision cardiovascular medicine with big data and AI.NPJ digital medicine · 2026Review
- Health literacy and digital health service use among community residents in Taiwan: implications from a pilot assessment using the HLS-SF12.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Understanding digital health literacy in the arab world: a study of arab adults with diabetes, hypertension, and rheumatoid arthritis residing in Qatar.Frontiers in digital health · 2026Article
- Digital and traditional recruitment strategies and participation patterns in the multicenter Healthy Brain Ageing study.Frontiers in digital health · 2026Article
- Latent profiles analysis and associated factors of digital health literacy among young and middle-aged adults with diabetes.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- The impact of social marketing practices in promoting digital etiquette: a descriptive and analytical study on a sample of Fallujah University students.F1000Research · 2026Article
- eHealth literacy, health self-efficacy, and health-promoting lifestyle among vocational college students: a latent profile and mediation analysis study.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- The negative association between health status and digital health literacy among Chinese youth: a cross-sectional study on Chinese general social survey.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- What might influence the elderly willingness to participate in "shared elderly care"? A mixed methods study.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
- Determinants of Digital Health Literacy Among Hypertensive Adults: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of primary care & community healthArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDigital health literacy describes an individual's ability to use digital information and tools to improve their own health. Understanding how digital health literacy varies across populations could help improve health equity. However, the determinants of digital health literacy have been scarcely evaluated.
objectiveThis study aims to assess the levels of digital health literacy in 4 countries (United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy, and Germany) and explore potential associations between digital health literacy and demographic characteristics and self-perceived health status.
methodsA cross-sectional online survey was disseminated to participants from the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, and Sweden in December 2020. Digital health literacy was self-reported using the validated eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS; range: 0-40); low digital health literacy has been previously defined as an eHEALS score<26. Participant characteristics collected were sex, age group, ethnicity, country, and perceived overall health status. A multivariable linear regression analysis was performed to explore associations between these variables and digital health literacy.
resultsA total of 6331 participants were included (51.7% female, n=3272). The mean eHEALS score was 29.2 (SD 6.8). Participant age, sex, health status, and country of residence were included in the final multivariable model. Compared to the 45- to 54-year age group, the 55 years and older age group had lower digital health literacy (β=-1.0; 95% CI -1.4 to -0.5; P<.001), while digital health literacy was higher in those aged 25-34 years (β=0.9; 95% CI 0.3-1.5; P=.002) and 35-44 years (β=0.6; 95% CI 0.1-1.2; P=.03). Better health status was associated with greater digital health literacy (β=0.3; 95% CI 0.2-0.4; P<.001). Compared to participants from Germany, those from the United Kingdom (β=2.1; 95% CI 1.7-2.5; P<.001) and Sweden (β=2.9; 95% CI 2.4-3.4; P<.001) had higher digital health literacy scores, while there was no difference with Italian participants (P=.399). Sex and ethnicity did not have any significant effect on digital health literacy.
conclusionsThis study found significant variations in digital health literacy by age, health status, and country of residence. Targeted educational programs for vulnerable groups, particularly those of older age and poorer health status, are essential. Policies fostering accessible digital health solutions and mitigating health technology-related uncertainties for these populations are crucial for achieving optimal health outcomes.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.